The Hyperloop is one step closer to completing its transition from concept to reality after a successful, though limited, full-scale test run by Hyperloop One.
The transportation start-up said it completed the first full system Hyperloop test in a vacuum environment in mid-May at the company's development test loop just north of Las Vegas.
"For the first time in over 100 years, a new mode of transportation has been introduced," said Shervin Pishevar, co-founder and executive chairman of Hyperloop One. "Hyperloop is real, and it's here now."
The company had been targeting spring 2017 for what it called "a Kitty Hawk moment," where it would show that the ultrahigh-speed transportation system can work at full scale.
As with the Wright brothers' Kitty Hawk moment, when they successfully flew a plane for the first time for just over 10 seconds, Hyperloop One's test run was also very brief.
Using magnetic levitation and propelled by electrical charges, the test sled coasted through the Hyperloop tube for 5.3 seconds. The company said it hit nearly 2Gs of acceleration and a speed of 70 miles per hour during the run.
Hyperloop One said the next phase of testing will target speeds up to 250 mph and feature the company's first passenger pod gliding through the Hyperloop over a greater distance.
"Hyperloop One will move people and things faster than at any other time in the world," said Pishevar.
While Hyperloop One has announced several potential routes around the world and many governments have expressed interest in the new form of transportation, the company has yet to formally break ground on the first Hyperloop route.